292 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NA TORAL HISTORY SOCIETY, Vol. XIX. 



Lth and 5th Infralabials. Costals. — Two heads-lengths behind 



head 15, midbody L5, two heads-lengths before the anus 15; the 



iioi enlarged ; ultimate row not or barely enlarged; no 



I pits present, single. Ventrals, — l! 1 ! 1 to 243, angulate 



rally. Anal. — Entire. Subcaudals. — 75 to 87: divio 



Anomalies. — The specimen in the Indian Museum above referred 



to has the anal divided. The costals vary in individuals. The 



Anamallay specimen in the British Museum has 13 scale row- for a 



distance anteriorly, and the Cuddapah Hills specimen in 



the same Institution 13 for some distance anteriorly and posteriorly. 



Where the rows are 13 that next to the vertebral i> unusually large 



owing to n confluence of two rows. When the rows reduce again 



from 15 to 13, the row next to the vertebral coalesces with that below. 



The Iridescent Earth Snake (Xenopeltis Unicolor). 



Nomenclature, (a) Scientific— The name of the genus was intro- 

 duced by Reinwardi in 1N27, and is from the Greek ^os strange, »Sxt/i 

 a shield, in allusion to the unusual disposition, and number of the 

 shields on the top of the head, many of which are quite peculiar" 

 to this snake. The 'specific name was also given by Reinwardt and 

 re ers to the uniform dorsal colouration. 



(A) English. — The Iridescent Earth-Snake is the best name for it, 

 the beautiful play of colours seen in the dorsal black on reflected light 

 calling for special remark. 



(c) Vernacular. — 1 know of none. 



Dimensions. — It grows to four feet. A specimen which Evans 

 and I collected in Rangoon measured 3 feel 5| inches, and Colonel 

 Evans has had one 4 feet 1 inch long. 



Bodily configuration, etc. — The body is of remarkably uniform 

 girth in its whole length, and broader in its lateral diameter than 

 in the ventro-vertebral. The head is spatulate, the snout broadly 

 rounded, and the head merges into the body without indication of a 

 neck. The eye is remarkably small and the iris very dark so that the 

 pupil is with difficulty discerned in life. When scrutinised closely 

 the iris i- seen to he dark-brown in colour, and the pupil vertically 

 elliptical. The nostril is small, the tail is decidedly short, measuring 

 from about one-tenth to one-eleventh the total length of the snake. 

 V whole snake exhibits an unusually high polish to its scales. 



